I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18 and spread to bones. After surgery, chemotherapy and five years on Tamoxifen, I went into a chemically-induced early menopause.

I was told that it was very unlikely that I’d ever be able to have children without IVF. At the age of 33 I decided that I wanted to try for children as I had just been told that my cancer was genetic and could affect my ovaries.

Tests revealed I had very high FSH levels, too high to be considered for IVF. A friend who had seen Dr. Zhao and had a successful pregnancy recommended I give acupuncture a try.

After six months of acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment from Dr. Zhao, my hormone levels had improved remarkably and I was ready for IVF. However, I continued my treatment with Dr. Zhao and a few months before I was due to start my first cycle of IVF, I discovered I was pregnant naturally. My specialist was astonished yet extremely delighted for us.

I had a very healthy pregnancy with no morning sickness and I now at 34 have a beautiful baby daughter who is a total miracle. She is a dream come true.

I cannot thank Dr. Zhao enough for all her support, guidance and care but above all, expertise. I highly recommend her to help you achieve pregnancy.

(Janet Dibbs 2009)

At age 45, we are the proud parents of a four-year-old daughter Minnie after having 9 failed IVFs.

We had been trying to conceive for eight years and had undergone nine IVF attempts and achieved two pregnancies but both miscarried.

We were referred to Dr. Zhao by our consultant when we were going through our tenth cycle of IVF.

After both of us receiving a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, I had seven eggs collected and six of them fertilised and divided. We were told they were the best quality embryos we had ever produced, so I continued with acupuncture before and after embryos transfer.

When I found out I was pregnant we were over the moon and we had a beautiful baby girl in January 2005. We are absolutely convinced that Dr. Zhao’s invaluable professional help and advice made our dream come.

There are a lot of people that might not realise how TCM could help them overcome infertility, they probably wouldn’t even think about it but yet it can offer a lot.

(Linda and Mark Russell 2009)

I am 34, the very happy mother of two lovely healthy children (boy and girl).

I had been on the contraceptive pill for 13 years and had stopped menstruating altogether after I came off the pill at the age of 27. After being married for two years we wanted to start trying for a family but after a year of nothing happening I went to my GP. I was soon referred to an infertility specialist at our local hospital where I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

For the next two years I underwent investigations and different treatments but nothing seemed to work, every month felt like a failure. I was eventually started on ovulation induction drugs and finally I was responding but too much; they cancelled all of our treatment telling us there was nothing left they could do for us. We were left devastated.

A friend introduced me to one of her friends who was pregnant following IVF. It was her who told me about Dr Zhao. She had had four failed IVF attempts and got into a lot of debt. She got pregnant on her first IVF cycle combined with acupuncture.

I was a little sceptical about acupuncture as I didn’t understand how it would work and I was a little nervous about having needles stuck in me. But I found the treatment very relaxing and it eased my stress from the whole situation. It never hurt, the needles were so fine I could hardly feel them going in.

I had acupuncture throughout the IVF process and finally I fell pregnant! I continued with the acupuncture throughout my pregnancy and had a baby boy in December 2005.

In 2008 we wanted to have IVF again to try for a sibling. We didn’t expect it to work first time again, we didn’t think we’d be so lucky. But I continued with the acupuncture and later found I was pregnant. We were amazed! Again I continued with acupuncture throughout my pregnancy. We had a daughter in January this year. I have all faith in Dr Zhao, she is amazing! I’ve already recommended Dr. Zhao to a few friends.

(Rebecca Ford 2009)

I was open minded about the effect of TCM as I had read articles (in medical journals) stating that TCM can help with sub-fertility.

We’ve been married for 16 years, had been trying to conceive for eight years before deciding to have TCM treatment with Dr. Zhao in preparation for, and during my IVF treatment.  The first two cycles failed as I had tremendous stress, accidentally broke my arm and also developed severe cystitis during the treatment.

However I became pregnant on my third attempt (from a frozen cycle) with twins. Sadly I miscarried one at seven weeks and the other embryo was in the fallopian tube and I had to have an emergency operation for a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and had the right fallopian tube removed. I was very ill and my menstrual cycle was very irregular and I felt extremely low physically and mentally so I went back to see Dr Zhao for further treatment.

She managed to regulate my cycle very quickly and then as I waited to start another IVF cycle I found I was pregnant through TCM alone with only one tube! I was amazed and am eternally grateful to Dr Zhao! We had a beautiful, perfect healthy girl.

When we wanted to try for a sibling for our daughter, we decided to give the embryos we had frozen from our previous cycles a chance and I became pregnant on the first try with Dr Zhao’s expertise.

We are now age 41, and have two beautiful girls! We would have been happy to try using TCM alone again, however as the embryos had already been created we felt we should give them a chance of life.

I would absolutely recommend the treatment. My menstrual cycle went from being completely erratic to a 28-day cycle. Most importantly it works. I have two amazing examples of Dr Zhao’s expertise.

(Kate Harrison 2009) 

I was 34 when two doctors told me I would be unable to have children naturally because of premature ovarian failure. I had never even heard of the condition and was now being told donor eggs were the only option for me and my husband if we wanted a family. I was totally devastated, but I was determined to try everything I could to help my body recover, because I believed the condition had been exacerbated through years of long hours and work stress.

I’ve already visited a few doctors of traditional Chinese medicine in London before seeing Dr. Zhao, but Dr Zhao was the first person to give me the confidence that I could really do it. My FSH was over 60 and my AMH was undetectable. I hadn't had a period in a year I don't think, had suffered severe hot flushes and night sweat, insomnia, and I was very forgetful. I was extremely stressed and anxious, but she calmly told me that she would be able to bring my periods back and reassured me that I had a good chance of conceiving - providing I reduced stress and maximised my healthy lifestyle as well as undergoing acupuncture and taking herbs. 

I was so relieved to speak to her, especially when I saw so many beautiful babies’ photos in the frame, and felt that finally I had met someone who knew how to tackle this devastating condition, hoping one day my baby’s photo will be standing proudly on her frame. She was practical but very supportive and sympathetic. 

After only a few weeks under her care my periods returned. I followed her healthy lifestyle guidelines religiously, took herbs, did the acupuncture and could not believe the difference. I felt normal again. She was emphatic that I had to reduce stress so I started listening to daily meditation recordings. 

Once she had kick-started my cycles, I also took DHEA supplements to enhance egg production and progesterone to boost chances of implantation. 

Within four months of starting treatment with Dr Zhao I fell pregnant naturally, and followed her advice in early pregnancy too. I was beyond amazed and happy. I now have a wonderful baby boy just a year after western medics told me it was impossible, and I’m ready to try again for another child. I was so impressed with Dr. Zhao that I advised my sister to visit her as well, and she is now a very happy mother too.

Dr. Zhao not only gave me the hope that it was possible, but also she somehow restarted my fertility system. I will always be grateful to her and would like to recommend her to everyone. She is genuinely a miracle baby maker!" (Anna M. 2015)

My fertility journey was a roller coaster, had tried 4 years to conceive before went to see Dr. Zhao! I had 11 years contraceptive pills before trying for a family, my period became irregular after I came off the pill. After all the tests found out I was not ovulating, tried Clomid for 10 months and IUI with no success, and later diagnosed having endometriosis and ovarian cyst. I expected to start IVF after laparoscopic surgery, but then my period shortened with elevated FSH and low oestrogen level. The consultant postponed IVF and referred me to Dr. Zhao. I was aged 34 by then, very frustrated and stressed.

I was amazed that my period was regulated to 27 days after 4 weeks of acupuncture and Chinese herbs, FSH and oestradiol back to normal. I continued treatment with Dr. Zhao for another 3 months, and surprisingly fell pregnant naturally while was expecting to start IVF on that cycle, and finally had my first baby girl just before Christmas 2008. By 2010 I was ready to try again for second child, and unbelievably fell pregnant naturally within couple of months, but I sadly miscarried at 6 weeks, and followed with another 3 miscarriages within 10 months. I was devastated and extremely depressed and anxious, decided to go back to Dr. Zhao for help again. She advised me not to try conceiving for 3 months while she was treating me. I got pregnant again after preparation with TCM, and I didn’t have any problem at all during this pregnancy and had a healthy baby boy in March 2013.

We can't thank Dr. Zhao enough for all of her support and guidance to help us achieve everything that we could have ever hoped and dreamed of … our beautiful family! 

It hasn’t always been an easy journey but finally our wishes have come true and we have the wonderful family that we have always longed for.

Our beautiful daughter and son have made our family complete! The work that Dr. Zhao does is amazing and totally invaluable to so many people. Thank you so much Dr. Zhao for everything. Wishing you every happiness and continued success for the future.

（Pat & Garry 2013)

I suffered with 2 miscarriages in 2008, and as a consequence the stress and upset of these events led to 'unexplained fertility.' I tried naturally for 3 years to no avail, and also trying reflexology for some time. I then later found out I had low AMH which could have contributed to not conceiving. We went down the IVF route in 2011 and wanted to try acupuncture alongside it (although I don't think we started it early enough before our first cycle began).

 We were recommended Dr Zhao by our fertility clinic. We found her to be very reassuring and gave us hope and confidence that we would be successful in conceiving. It was such a relief after years of heartache and not believing it would ever happen for us, to have someone truly believe we would get our happy ending. 

Dr Zhao also discovered I had a short luteal phase which could also be contributing to our problem. With the use of acupuncture she helped address this. I finally got pregnant with frozen embryo transfer and resulted in the safe arrival of our beautiful baby boy in 2014. 

All the way through the IVF journey, I continued having regular acupuncture with Dr Zhao and felt encouragement and positivity from each session. This was critical for me to continue with acupuncture, especially during the early stage of my pregnancy when I had previously had my miscarriages.
Dr Zhao was always on hand with stories of success and helped me regain the faith and hope I needed to get through each stage of the processes - both the IVF process and then the actual pregnancy which was a constant worry and period of anxiety for me after having 3 miscarriages. 

We thank Dr Zhao for all her support, both professionally and emotionally and I have no hesitation in recommending her to others going through fertility problems. I would never have thought I would be one of the photos of inspiration to others, I still can’t quite believe that I conceived again naturally without much effort, we now have two beautiful boys.

(C.E. 2016)

I was 32 years old when I started trying to get pregnant. Back then there was no reason to expect I wouldn’t get pregnant easily. After two years of trying it was clear I would need some help. All investigations came back normal and I was diagnosed with unexplained infertility initially. This is a frustrating diagnosis as there is no problem to “fix” as such, especially to me as a medical nurse. In 2010, I had done more tests, ultrasound scan found 4 uterine fibroids. 

After 3 failed intra-uterine inseminations (IUI) and one failed round of IVF I consulted Dr. Zhao which was two months prior to my next IVF. Her initial consultation was very in depth and her knowledge of fertility is obviously vast. After more tests I was found to have poor ovarian reserve (low AMH of 2.6) and an over active immune system and blood clotting disorder which may have been affecting my fertility. I embarked on one final round of IVF with immune-suppression therapy and weekly visits to Dr. Zhao for acupuncture. I also followed Dr Zhao’s diet and lifestyle advice. 

I was overjoyed to find I was pregnant this time around. As well as the wonderful benefits of the acupuncture, Dr. Zhao’s support through the IVF process is so welcome. Whilst lying on the couch having treatment I had the chance to ask her questions about the IVF, get some much needed encouragement and often shed a few tears during the difficult times. 

I continued with the acupuncture throughout the pregnancy and I am sure this is the reason that I had such an easy pregnancy which at the age of 39 is wonderful. I had no morning sickness and relatively a few aches and pains right through to the end. 

After 7 years of trying I gave birth to my baby boy in October and he is wonderfully healthy and thriving. I am forever grateful to Dr. Zhao for her help in becoming a mum. My beautiful son is thriving, and he is now 16 weeks old. 

(Darcey Spencer Feb. 2017)

I was turning 40 years old, after 1 miscarriage and 2 failed attempts at IVF I researched acupuncture for fertility and came across Dr. Zhao (my friend had previously had acupuncture for fertility and recommended it). I also picked up Dr Zhao's leaflet at the IVF clinic as an associated partner. 

I was diagnosed with Fibroids and Endometriosis. We were due to start our 3rd IVF cycle in the April as I contacted Dr Zhao in the March. She was keen to get us started as soon as possible to allow plenty of time for treatment in advance. Following an in depth consultation we got started with acupuncture straight away. During our 3rd IVF cycle, we produced more eggs (14 eggs) for fertilisation than previous attempts, which resulted in much better quality of embryos that I never ever had before - 7 of 5 days blastocysts. I had two top quality blastocysts transferred, froze 5 blastocysts for the 1st time ever, and I had a positive pregnancy result in May. We had an absolute dream of a pregnancy - I am sure the acupuncture treatment was a large contributing factor. Dr Zhao's played such an important part in our pregnancy - her attention to detail, knowledge and most of all support throughout the IVF process and pregnancy was outstanding. 

We gave birth to our adorable son, Henry, early January. 

It is also important to note, as a usually anxious person I became much more relaxed as a result of the acupuncture sessions. I also used to suffer from various allergies, including eczema, hay fever and dust; since undertaking acupuncture sessions I have been allergy free. 

We really can’t thank Dr Zhao enough for, not only the highly professional treatment, but also her care, kindness, counsel, advice and support. I will miss our weekly sessions. Such an amazing lady! I would recommend her to anyone. 

(Kate & Peter, Feb. 2017)

I will never be able to thank Dr Zhao enough for what she did for me. I came to Dr Zhao and Traditional Chinese Medicine in utter despair, at the age of 39, with a loudly ticking biological clock, a partner unwilling to go for IVF, and a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. However, I have taken contraceptive pills for 15 years for severe acne. My cycles were between 21 and 33 days after I came off the pills, and vaginal bleeding after bowels movement. I had dreadful acne, and I was deeply depressed, not least by what felt like a deeply unhelpful diagnosis from the NHS and 5 long years of trying to conceive. 

Unexplained infertility may sound fairly benign to a fertility specialist but to a woman desperate to conceive it felt like the end of the world. Unexplained infertility. What on earth was I meant to do about that? So I Googled and found Traditional Chinese Medicine. And a local fertility expert in South Yorkshire called Dr Zhao.

Of course I was deeply cynical. About Traditional Chinese Medicine and about Dr Zhao. I believed in the NHS, and in Western medicine, not in alternative remedies, and Eastern approaches to infertility. How could something as unobtrusive and relatively painless as herbs and acupuncture possibly help unexplained infertility? If the infertility was unexplained, how could there be anything to even treat? Wouldn’t I be better off going straight for IVF with a donor? But the scientific evidence supporting Traditional Chinese Medicine as a treatment for infertility was overwhelming. So reluctantly and nervously, I decided TCM might be worth a try. 

Within two months, and to my amazement, Dr Zhao got my cycles back on track, and stabilised my general health and low energy and mood levels. With no IVF or hormones or drugs, just herbs and acupuncture. Dr Zhao also recommended an NHS medical fertility specialist, with an understanding of TCM, to investigate what turned out to be endometriosis. And so unexplained infertility was replaced first by regular cycles and then at last, after 6 months of treatment from Dr Zhao, by the child I so longed for. When I got pregnant, it felt like a miracle. A miracle supported by Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

It still does to this day. I’m ashamed now of my cynicism about Traditional Chinese Medicine. Dr Zhao changed my life, from a sad and lonely one, to one full of laughter and noise and mess and happiness, and all the things it so desperately needed. My son, the child I so desperately wanted, is now 3. I had acupuncture throughout my pregnancy and I still wonder now if that’s why he’s so happy, healthy, clever, strong, and everything I could possibly have wished for. 

If you’ve also received a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, please see Dr Zhao. For yourself and for your partner and for your future children. Because there will be children, however despairing you may feel now. I know that because I was there too, struggling to conceive and all but abandoned by the NHS in which I’d put my faith. I can’t claim to understand how or why Traditional Chinese Medicine works. But what I do understand is that Traditional Chinese Medicine and Dr Zhao gave me a child after 5 years of trying to conceive. That definitely makes TCM more than worth a try.

(Lisa G. Feb 2017)